SCIENCE ATTITUDE AND GEOSCIENCE COMPETENCY OF GAEMP MINORITY STUDENTS

GAEMP (Geoscience Alliance to Enhance Minority Participation) is an NSF-OEDG program in its third summer of operation in the LSU Department of Geology and Geophysics. Black and Hispanic students are recruited from nine Minority Serving Institutions for an intensive, eight-semester hour summer introductory course. Ten faculty present beginning geoscience topics related to their personal research programs and the students are given many opportunities to learn geoscience in the field. Thirty-six students have been served to date. Ten have either entered a graduate program in geoscience or expressed a strong interest in future graduate studies. The comments below are derived from an entrance questionnaire and the final exam for the course.

The typical GAEMP student is pursuing an undergraduate major in physics, mathematics, computer science or biology. On a 5-point scale, 90% are highly interested in science (ratings of 4 or 5) and are similarly inclined to consider careers in science. Most profess to being good in science, but are less likely to declare that they are skilled in mathematics. They are intrigued by the possibilities of careers in geoscience and indicate that their families would be supportive of their entry into the profession. About 75% of the students claim to have a basic understanding of geoscience although fewer than 50% have taken an introductory course in Earth Science. Most of the participating universities do not offer geoscience courses. About 50% are on scholarship support at their home institution.

When the course begins, the students are not able to produce acceptable answers to open-ended subject matter questions, such as: “What is a rock?' or “What is a fossil?” By the end of the six-week course their level of competency has increased considerably. They are now able to describe rock types and discuss their origins. One student was anxious to go home and tell his mother that fossils were “real” and not simply objects produced for the local tourist trade. Stratigraphic concepts, (superposition and correlation) are now real for these mostly urban students. By the final exam, they are able to use evidence from their field studies to describe the geologic history of the Front Range in the area of Colorado Springs, CO. Students complete the summer with an increased awareness of the world around them and the importance of geoscience to society.